SHOCKING! Kidnapped journalist WAMBUI narrates what she went through in the hands of kidnappers dressed in police uniform.

Local journalist Wambui
Mwangi explains the ordeal she went through when she was kidnapped few days
ago…

Jesus Thy Kingdom
Come…!

I Wambui Mwangi
Wokabi, am a living testimony that God is alive. He is here with
us. I was hijacked by armed robbers on Wednesday 30th January 2019 on my
way from Kijabe AIC hosp. I was driving a Toyota Premio KBZ 859B metallic
Silver. I had just finished eating mahindi Choma that I had bought on my way.
Upon reaching Kiracha area where the Kamae forest begins, I was flagged
to stop by two police men who were clad in full police uniform and branded
yellow jackets.

They were in the
company of another man who was not in uniform, he was in a red T-shirt. A navy
blue car that was seemingly to be going to the direction I was coming from had
also stopped on the road. I thought they had been stopped by the officers just
like me. I innocently obliged and one of them asked me why I was
overspeeding. “Madam, kwa nini unakimbia? ” I replied “mimi
sijakimbia kwa sababu hata hii barabara imejaa mashimo.” I am not overspeeding
because this road is full of potholes. “Then bring your driving licence.” The
officer demanded. I stretched my left hand to get the DL from my laptop
bag that was at the back seat.

Before I could
unzip the bag, I realized that the officer had his hand on the car unlock key,
he ordered me to step out of the vehicle saying “You’re under arrest” I
asked him, over what? What have I done? By then he was
already holding my hand and it is at this point I had a hunch that these
were robbers. I asked him to allow me pick my phone and porche. I was
whisked to a waiting car and got sandwiched between the two uniformed
officers. The one on my right hand ordered me to surrender my car key
which I obliged. He ordered me to explain where the cut off for the car was
which I did through descriptions as he handed the car key to the man who was in
a red T-shirt. He closed the door and asked me to introduce myself.
“madam unaitwa nani? ” Naitwa “Wambui” I replied.

On mentioning my name, he immediately
changed the language and started talking to me in Kikuyu. “Rîu Wambui rî,
ithuî tûtirî borithi. Ithûî túrî mîici na wîra wiitû nî kûiya na kûraga.” Now
Wambui, we are not police officers. We are thieves and our job is to
steal and kill. I felt a cold shiver down my spine. I started crying and I was
scolded with a stern warning that if I will not behave as if we are together
and nothing that has happened, I will face the music. The thief on my right
handed me a handkerchief and I wiped my tears and pretended that all was well.
By then, the vehicle was being driven towards Kamae where I had come
from. They covered my head with a headgear that covered even my face but I
pleaded with them not to cover my nose. They folded it in a way that my
nose was safe telling me that they can’t allow me to die before they execute
their mission. I could tell that the vehicle left the tarmac and we were
driving on a rough road. I was ordered to keep my eyes closed even if I had
been covered.

They asked for my Equity Bank ATM Pin. I could
hear the one on the right side communicate with the thief who was handed my car
key. Immediately he finished talking to him, he ordered to tell them where I
work without lying. I told him that now that you warned me against lying, I
will tell you the truth that I am a reporter and a news correspondent based in
Murang’a. On hearing that, he pulled a pistol from his waist and scolded,
“You media people are good at reporting that we carry toys. Is this one here a
toy gun? He asked me while cocking the gun and I closed my eyes pleading
to him that I am ready to do as he orders and thus I have never reported about
robbery. The one on the left also removed his pistol and told me to behave
nicely that my life is based in how I will behave. The caller from the other
end would ask for more time to get to his destination. The robber on my right
seemed to be their commander in chief.

He would defy his
driver’s proposal to have me lie on the floor of that car. I remember at some
point they quarreled and the commander told the driver, “We can’t steal
everything from her and then leave her with health problems. That is inhuman!”
The driver felt offended and replied to his commander that “I hope you will not
let us be deceived by this girl’s sweet tongue.” The commander told him to keep
driving and I could use my hand to pat him as a way of saying thank you. It
reached a point I moved my right hand at the back and held on my spine. By the
way, Iwas coming from Kijabe hosp for my clinic with a spinal surgeon. It’s a
treatment I started on August last year and in all this, I have seen God
healing me. All my health records including the MRI were in my car. Back to my
story in the hands of robbers. I narrated my spinal cord illness story to their
commander coz the one on the left seemed uninterested and had moved to
the co-driver seat leaving me at the back left and the commander at the back
right. We told a lot of stories, at some point we could laugh but my laughter
would be cut short on remembering that I was probably laughing my last in this
life. My back pain accelerated and I could not relax anymore.

The commander dint
raise any alarm. He took it easy with me but the thief on the co-driver’s seat
suddenly shouted “Wee gathee tiga kwîhe mûhiki ûyû! Úyú agútwîka
gîcanjama.” You boss! Stop giving his woman too much freedom. She
might cause us some trouble”. The commander replied to him, “just let her
be. She is very cooperative”. They agreed to take me to a tour
which I did not understand what it meant. I pleaded with them not to kill me and
again, my good and considerate thief told me, “I don’t make
promises but I promised not to kill you. So, can you relax!” I apologized.
Alas! I smelled a very strong stench of something decomposing. I started
vomiting and my good thief gave me a carrier bag to vomit in.

He commended me
for my cooperation saying am one of a kind. However, he warned me that if
I dare trick him with my goodness, they will kill and leave me to rot in the
forest. I told him that he only needs to tell me the guidelines or the do’s and
donts so that I don’t mess up. In fact, I asked him to tell me if he sees me
make a mistake or even sit in an awkward position. He told me that he is a good
teacher in that and would guide me accordingly. Then he engaged me in a Q and
A. “Are we bad people?” I said no. “But we have stolen from you?” I
replied that no earthly material is compared to human life and since they had
spared my life, that shows they are good people. “Wambui you are a very wise
girl.” We all laughed at the joke. Much of the stories we told surrounded
numerous theft they conducted and how the victims behaved. The vehicle stopped
at some point and the good commander ordered the co-driver thief to buy me some
drinking water since I was still vomiting.

He bought water
for everyone in the car but I did not drink mine due to vomiting. The commander
apologized for making me go through such ordeal and he narrated to me stories
that he is an engineer who is jobless but the robbery job is well paying. He
told me that he has heavily invested and his wife who coincidentally is called
Wambui like me thinks that the husband is a private investor and an
interprenuer. We all laughed. All this time, we were still on the move.
The car stopped severally and one of the thieves would come out and make a
call, visit an ATM or urinate. I kept on pleading to them not to kill me. I
told them I had a sick child in the hospital and my husband was unwell, so
killing or drugging me would be an end to my entire lineage. I asked the
engineer if I could be of help to get him a job and promised that I can help
him out but he retorted that once we are done with you today, no more
meetings, I insisted that I would like to meet him again, just him and
not the others but he objected.

Let’s get back to around 1pm when my husband
called my number and they all went quiet. I asked them, who is calling
me? The good thief who by that time was holding my phone said its written
husband. I told him to allow me talk to him since he was expecting me at
Murang’a town. He reminded me to behave as if all is OK. I told my
husband all was well and thus I was on my way back. I added that I was all
alone because the child had been admitted. When my husband became inquisitive,
I told him we will talk later and hanged on… Back to the engineer story. I
requested him to pass me a white-rouded container that was in my porch. He
opened it and asked what it was but on seeing a rosary inside the
container, he handed it to me very quickly and said, “as you pray,
please remember us.” The foolish co-driver thief started mocking God and
said, “We also pray. Don’t think that we are pagans! But your praying won’t
change any of our plans.” I did not respond to him. In fact, I had
grown to ignore him and I could only reply to my caring thief who had a human
heart. But I told God quietly, “see how your name is being mocked and
prove to them that you are God almighty.” The commander told them to keep quiet
for the prayers but I told them to continue with their stories as I was to pray
silently. I want to be sincere here, I tried to pray but I could not. I
couldn’t even remember the Lord’s prayer. Immediately I prayed the first
line… Our father who is at heaven…

All the other
lines disappeared from my memory. The devil was indeed at work! But I
remembered a few lines in the Divine Mercy, as I had been taught by my dad
Charles Mwangi Mbui, where I only kept on repeating the same thing, “For
the sake of his sorrowful passion… Have mercy on us and on the whole world.” I
repeated that as I touched my rosary beads. After I finished, I did not return
the rosary to its white container. I put it on my neck. The rude thief was
still interjecting even during my prayer session and I could tell God,
please shut his mouth. It reached a point the one who took off with my car made
a long call and my good thief had to talk outside the vehicle, probably
not to give me too much information or even a clue as to where they were taking
my car. . After driving for sometime, my good thief briefed me with a chilling
message. “It has come a time that we say goodbye to you Wambui.” Tears fell on
my clothes and by blouse actually got wet. “You mean after complying to
everything that you said I will eventually die? I asked him.

He quickly
responded, “I don’t make promises but I promised you that you won’t die for I
want you to see your children in the evening just as I will see mine when I get
back home today.” “But you seem to love the death topic so much, who said that
we are going to kill you?” He added. I once again apologize and after
travelling for like 10 minutes, he told me that only three minutes left
we go our separate ways. This time, I kept quiet and reminded God
of the prayers that I had prayed since I was a child. That there is no dustbin
to Every prayer. I reminded God of things that I had done to touch the lives of
his poor people one case where I reported of a 26 year old Raphael Waweru of
Kangema who was seeking financial help for head operation. I reminded God of
several issues of Mercy that I had done and asked him to return the favour by
saving my life. To my surprise, the compassionate thief said, “I don’t
understand why am having this feeling that I should not harm you in anyway.

An inner voice is telling me to protect you
instead” I pat his hand for the second time and replied, “It’s because we share
one thing in common. The living God that you and I pray. Your God is still my
God. You prayed him in the morning to help you get something for your family
and eventually get back to your kids safely. This is the same prayer I made to
our God and see, the God has made the desires of your heart come true. You
successfully hijacked me and got everything that I had. The only thing
remaining for you is to see yours kids safe in the evening and that is my
desire too. To see mine and attend to the one in hospital. So, please let me
see my children and God will forever protect you.” I stopped talking. I could
feel a sign of relief from them all. The vehicle stopped. None said a word.
After two minutes, my good hearted robber opened the door and stepped
out. It took like a minute before he opened the left door where I was seated
from outside. He called my name softly, “Wambui” I did not talk. I was in
tears. I knew my time do die has come. “Stop crying because I have not hurt you
in anyway and I have no time to waste. If you annoy me, I will be violent on
you.” He asked me out of the car. “Can I open my eyes now?” I asked.

He said I should
not open the eyes. It is at this point I knew my time to be alive is up. Since
my head was still covered and I could not see ehere to step, I stretched my
left hand to him. He held my hand. Helped me out of the car and we both
made about six steps forward. I held his hand so tight because probably this is
the last human being to hear my voice under the sun. I requested him to just
give me a few seconds to say a word. He agreed. “May God bless you for
protecting me from being hurt in this process. May the car and everything that
you stole from me be of help to you.” I told him. He said an Amen and
also blessed me with this words,”Thank you too Wambui for being so cooperative.
Given a chance, I would wish to meet you again but that would be risky for me
and may God help you get more than what we have taken from you that the next
time we bump on you, we will have something to steal and probably treat
you much better because you have a good heart.” I replied with two Amen’s
“Amen! Amen! ” After my Amen, he removed my head gear from behind and
asked me to remember the rules that I should not look back. I said a thank-you
as he bid be goodbye.

JOURNEY THROUGH
THE FOREST

I started walking.
My first four steps were shacky and my heart went cold. I was waiting to hear a
gun shot that would have dropped me dead. I walked through the rough road
without looking up or back! There was no sound. Just a quiet forest and the
abandoned rough road. I lifted my head straight and I could only see bends
ahead of me and a heavy thicket in the forest. No turning back! That
warning kept on lingering my mind. After walking for like 10 minutes without
seeing any sign of human life, no bodaboda, no vehicle. As I kept on
walking, I heard the sound of a dog gnashing of bones. I stopped still. I
looked at the right hand side where the sound was coming from but I could not
see due to the heavy thicket. I held my rosary on the neck so tight and
talked to God quietly. “Ooh God! You saved me from dying through a
bullet, please don’t let me die in the teeth of an animal. Upon making this
short prayer, I looked up in the skies and saw a very bright blue sky
that gave me hope.

I asked God to give me a sign of how I will
get outside the deep forest. And before I could stop staring at the
beautiful skies, I asked myself how stupid I was to walk so deep into the
forest without thinking that the robbers were directing me that way for them to
escape. I gained courage and turned back to where I was coming from. I started
walking back. I looked at the farthest corner but i could not see the robbers
anywhere. That means they never followed me, I thought to myself. I started
panting because I was walking faster to come out of the forest and at the same
time, I was looking back several times out of fear of the unknown animal that
was gnashing bones. At times I could hold my breath using my hand due to heavy
breathing. All this time, I was lifting my hands up asking God to send me
an angel who would lead me out of the forest. After walking for about 40
minutes, I was losing hope.

I was fatigued and worn out. My feet were
arching. I saw an opening ahead of me and on getting there, it was
tarmacked road. I lifted both my hands up and shouted, “Praise be to Jesus!
Thank you Jesus!” I immediately held my mouth using the palm of my hands on
remembering that am still in the forest and not yet off the hook. After some
time, private vehicles were plying from left or right direction but none
stopped for me. They just passed me by, probably thinking am being
used to trap them. I don’t blame them though! Later, my angel in the
name of Nissan Matata came by and I stood right at the middle of the road. It
stopped and the driver was angrily asked me if I wanted to kill myself. I told
him that I was looking for help and upon showing him the rough road that I came
by, he was shocked and told me that I indeed pray a living God. On our
way, I asked the conductor where we were and he said that the road was headed
to Gakoe, Thika. I asked for his phone and called my husband where I told him
what has befell me.

I was dropped at the Gakoe roadblock where God
sent me another angel in the name of Kuria Kengen. He stopped and asked me what
I was doing there and I told him he had been sent by God. Apparently, Kuria was
driving to Magumu to take back a car, which he had been given by a man who
found him in an accident scene three days ago. The man gave him his vehicle and
told him that he believes he will get back his car by Wednesday. So, Kuria
wanted to take the car back to the owner in the morning but unfortunately, his
wife called him saying she had been arrested in her car by traffic officers.
So, Kuria had to sort out the mess first only to embark on his journey to
return the car that afternoon and find me at the roadblock. I had borrowed an
officer’s mobile phone and called a colleague Dennis Kabiru of Citizen tv and
briefed him on what had happened to me. He promised to circulate the message so
that the vehicle can be found. My colleagues Victor Kinuthia (Inooro FM)
and George Konami (Kameme FM) moved with speed to circulate the message. At
Gakoe police post, I was directed to Magumu police station with officers
telling me that the theft dint happen within their area of jurisdiction.

One of them who
looked like a senior was very annoying and never paid attention to my story. He
rushed to conclusions that someone, probably a friend must have been behind my
woes. One junior officer volunteered to stop vehicles on the road to lift me
up. I was lifted in a white salon car and true to God’s promise, the
couple with their children said are from Kangema and were travelling to
Olkarau. On reaching Magumu area, Mama Gakenia asked her husband to
assist me with bus fare that would enable be reach Murang’a. He dashed into an
Mpesa shop and handed me over Sh.1,000 loose cash. I was very grateful and
asked for their contacts which they wrote on a piece of paper. At Magumu police
station, I was told that area is classified under Nyandarua County hence I had
to go report at Kijabe police station.

A very hospitable officer at Magumu called
Karuri narrated how he was stolen a brand new Toyota Premio KCF right outside
Turskys Supermarket in Thika. He was in the company of his grand daughter who
was lifted by the thugs from the co-drivers seat and thrown at the back. He
counselled me and I really felt that I had met someone who really understood
what I was going through. Thanks Karani. As he was talking to me, remember the
angle God had sent at the Gakoe roadblock? Kuria! He joined me at the Magumu
police station, This time with the elderly man who had given him his car and
two of his sons! The old man lifted us to the main road where Kuria and I
boarded a Matatu to Kijabe police station. Kuria called my husband who by this
time was on his way to Kijabe, with his close friend Dr. Humphrey
Gikonyo. They had passed through Kiambu for fear of what had happened to me
along Kamae -Thika road.

We found very
caring officers at the station. Led by Mr. Sugut, Mr. Mulinge and a lady
whom I did not get her name, handled us professionaly until midnight when I
finished recording all the statements and abstracts given. My colleagues from
Nyandarua County Lydia Wairimu Mwangi and Mugo managed to get my husband’s
contact and were keeping track of everything. Indeed, God sent me the
angels I prayed for at the forest. From the station to the main road is quite a
distance and we all fitted into Dr. Gikonyo’s car. Don’t ask me how many
we were please. We dropped the officers at the main road where their boss Mr.
Sugut was waiting and we proceeded to Nairobi then Murang’a. I fell deep
asleep somewhere along the way. I was tired and exhausted. I had not
eaten a thing coz I had vomited the mahindi Choma in the forest. We arrived
Murang’a at around 3am. My first born son woke up gave me big hug! He was
already aware that his mother had been kidnapped by armed robbers. He told me,
“mummy, am glad to see and hug you.” I told him I was ok and thus he could get
back to bed because tomorrow (Thursday) is school day.

I am writing this
to tell of the glory of God! Triumph through prayer. Never cease to pray
even if you feel that you are dead inside, just say a word to our God.

DEDICATION

To the Armed
robbers, I salute you for not hurting me. Yes, you took every
material thing I had: My car and all my working tools, including my medical records
but you spared my life. To the thief who was sited on my right hand side: you
are the first angel that God sent across. You made the four hours of my
kidnapping easy. You are truly a human being and for sure, you will see
heaven because I know you will repent very soon. Thank you so much for
being nice to me. To all my colleagues, presenters and anchors of different
media houses, words alone can’t describe my gratitude, to my friends even on
social media, you are a blessing and to the security officers, I was
impressed by your service BUT please, investigate amongst yourselves who
are the criminals. No thief would dress in police gear and risk stopping
vehicles in the name of an officer. To date, I still believe that those who
robbed from me are police officers but unfortunately, they had covered my face
and i can’t identify none of them. To my beloved husband, thank you for
unending support. I thank God that I am the one who was hijacked. They told me
openly that majority of men are stubborn and resistant thus they kill them
first. I know you. I know you would not have let go of your hard earned
properties go just like that without putting up a fight. That is why God made
sure you was not with me as usual that specific day. Indeed, he is God!

To my parents, and
entire family, am very sorry for he mental torture.

To my God
almighty, I thank-you for saving my life and putting the devil to shame. I will
forever serve you my Lord Jesus!!